| Abstract Detail
Stress Tolerance Carter, Christy T. [1], Grieve, Catherine M. [2]. Greenhouse production of Antirrhinum majus (snapdragon) when exposed to two increasingly saline water compositions. Throughout California the conservation of quality fresh water is of great concern. Reusing saline wastewaters to produce floral crops is a viable option for growers when plants are tolerant to salt. A completely randomized design with three replications was used to test the effect of five salinity levels and two water ionic compositions on the germination, growth, and ion uptake of Antirrhinum majus (snapdragon). Electrical conductivities included 2.5 (control), 5, 8, 11, 14 dS m-1 and ionic water treatments simulated those of sea water and saline drainage water from the Imperial and Coachella Valleys of California. Seeds of “Apollo Cinnamon” and “Monaco Rose” cultivars were sown in 30 sand tanks in a greenhouse. Leaves were sampled two months after planting and analyzed for Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl-, total-S, and total-P. Morphometric data were collected when plants were harvested. Germination was also tested under controlled light and temperature conditions for both cultivars using a 2 × 5 factorial design. For both cultivars, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, total-S, and Cl- increased in overall concentration whereas K+ and total-P decreased as salinity in both water compositions increased. Stem length, basal stem diameter, and total mass decreased also with increasing salinity for both cultivars in all treatments. Seeds of “Apollo” and “Monaco” had greater than 92% germination at 14 dS m-1 or lower. No significant differences (P > 0.05) for germination were found for either treatment for either cultivar. Even though stem length declined with increasing salinity, both cultivars can be produced commercially up to 14 dS m-1 given that the shortest length was 76 cm in all water and salinity treatments. Likewise, seeds of these cultivars are also highly germinable even though this particular stage of development is generally more sensitive than later stages to increases in salinity.
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1 - Tennessee Tech University, Department of Biology, Pennebaker Hall, Cookeville, TN, 38505, USA
2 - U. S. Salinity Laboratory, 450 W. Big Springs Road, Riverside, CA, 92507, USA
Keywords:
none specified
Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Topics
Session: P
Location: Exhibit Hall (Northeast, Southwest & Southeast)/Hilton
Date: Sunday, July 8th, 2007
Time: 8:00 AM
Number: P77001
Abstract ID:28 |
